ANKARA
Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party chairman Kemal Kilicdaroglu said he will not run for president in the upcoming election in August.
He made the remarks on Thursday night during an interview on Turkish private broadcaster Haberturk.
Kilicdaroglu set the tone by recalling his previous words that leaders of political parties should not be presidential candidates.
Rather, he stressed that the person to take the presidential seat should be someone who does not have a "sharp political identity”.
"Because there must be no controversy surrounding the person to occupy that seat, or concern over their neutrality,” he said.
Kilicdaroglu said he didn't even think about being a nominee for the country's top post.
On Wednesday, the main opposition leader met the heads of Turkey's senior labor unions to discuss his party’s prospects in nominating a presidential candidate.
Last week, he had a private audience with Devlet Bahceli, the second opposition Nationalist Movement Party leader, to mull a potential ‘joint candidate.’
Bahceli’s party previously said that they welcomed the idea of a joint candidate across the opposition who can "embrace the entire nation.”
Both Kilicdaroglu and Bahceli have been in talks with non-governmental organizations and trade bodies to discuss whom they will nominate.
August 10 will mark the first time that Turkey's president will be elected by direct popular vote.
A candidate needs more than 50 percent of the popular vote to be elected in the first round.
If no candidate receives the required percentage, there will be a second round on August 24 between the two candidates who received the most votes in the first.
www.aa.com.tr/en
